Susan Lynn (Hawkinson) Canole

Susan Lynn Hawkinson was born on July 2, 1978 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Joliet, Illinois. She was the third of four children for Doug and Linda Hawkinson.

In her youth, Susan was active in sports, including soccer, tennis and horseback riding - a love she would rekindle later in life. She was an excellent student, graduating with honors from Minooka High School in 1996, and from DePaul University in 2000 with a degree in Political Science.

Susan met her future husband Ray in 1992, she a freshman and he a sophomore, during a chance hallway encounter at Minooka High. They kept in touch through college and began dating in 1999. After a long courting, they married on May 31, 2003. Over the years, the couple called many places home, including Chicago (IL), Kalamazoo (MI), Grand Rapids (MI), Deerfield (IL) and Westlake (TX).

Susan and Ray’s first “children” were Paige Pepper and Lucy Muffin, two miniature black poodles the couple adopted in 2003. After several years of focused love, attention, treats, walks and sitters, the dogs took a slight demotion in 2010 when William Charles was born, and were knocked back yet another notch upon the birth of Emily Rae in 2011. German warmblood Mack the Knife (show name Meisterbuch) joined the family in 2014 and Harper Paige, a standard poodle, in 2018.

Throughout her life, Susan had the ability to impart an incredible amount of love and compassion to children and animals of all type and variety. This was true when she was young, as she cared for her first two nephews Alex and Brandon, and certainly once Will and Emily were born and the Canole family and network grew.

Susan’s passion was horses. Her place of solace was the barn, spending time with her “spectacular steed” Mack, her horse friends and the barn cats, to which she frequently gave copious amounts of treats. She enjoyed the simple things there – including grooming Mack, giving him carrots, fresh grass, and even mucking his stall.

You always knew where you stood with Susan – she was very direct and had a hard time faking emotions or sugarcoating situations. Always the entertainer, she loved life and frequently encouraged others to live in the moment. She enjoyed sharing a glass (or two) of wine with close friends, often paired with relationship advice.

Susan enjoyed traveling, loved country music, especially the Dixie Chicks and Eric Church – seeing both acts several times, and had quite an affinity for George W. Bush. Although she never got a chance to meet him – she took comfort in knowing that her sister-in-law Kelly was able to, and was only slightly jealous…
Susan was an active member of the community - volunteering with schools, churches and at equestrian events, including the Richland Park Horse Trials, for which she led the PR activities for many years. She was an avid photographer, had a slight addiction to social media and a strong aversion to seafood.

Susan was an adoring mom to Will and Emily, a life partner for Ray, and a fiercely loyal friend to many. She showed an incredible amount of strength and resolve over the last two years, especially in the face of several difficult challenges and setbacks.

Her loss leaves an inexpressible hole in our hearts and lives. We are eternally grateful for the time we did get with her and will forever cherish the memories she gave us.

Susan is preceded in death by grandparents Gordon/Mary Jo Hawkinson and Charles/Helen Murphy, and beloved nephew Ty Hawkinson. She is survived by husband Ray, son William, daughter Emily, canine child Harper, equestrian child Mack, parents Doug and Linda, brother Andy (Kelly), sister Elizabeth, brother Steven, nephews Alex, Brandon and Jack, nieces, Brooklyn, Tessa, Gabby and Callie and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

A private memorial service will be held in the coming days. A larger gathering/celebration of her life will be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Susan’s memory to Abiding Grace Lutheran Church ( www.abidinggracedfw.org/giving ), Cal’s Angels ( www.calsangels.org ), or Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch ( www.crystalpeaksyouthranch.org ).

Rest in Peace Susie – WLY